Protect, preserve Air Force traditions

  • Published
  • By Senior Master Sgt. Scott Wallick
  • 56th Component Maintenance Squadron
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. (AFNS) --  For the past several years, I've noticed a disturbing trend. This trend, if left unchecked, threatens to erode one of our most basic Air Force traditions.

I'm talking about the Air Force retirement ceremony. Sometimes NCOs, senior NCOs and officers choose to forgo a retirement ceremony and simply fade off into the sunset, closing that chapter of their lives with no formalities. While some people may think it is totally their choice to skip the ceremony, keep in mind that is precisely how valuable traditions die.

Thinking about this topic takes me back to my first assignment at Royal Air Force Lakenheath in the late 1980s. My shop chief, Master Sgt. Day, was a seasoned master sergeant; he had a clipboard, a cup of coffee and a cigarette, and always had something profound to say. I'll never forget his persuasive words during a retirement planning meeting we had for one of our brothers who did not want to have the ceremony. Keep in mind this was more than 20 years ago, but I still remember it clearly. He had these words to share:

"I can appreciate how you feel, and I actually once felt the same way. You and I were brought up to seek awards and accolades for others, not for ourselves. This ceremony, however, is bigger than that. This is about celebrating a career of service and sacrifice. You have helped so many people in your long, outstanding career, and some of those people just want to say thanks. We also want the opportunity to thank your family for their years of dedication and sacrifice. Most important of all, though, it is our tradition to do it this way and we must keep our tradition alive."

While Sergeant Day persuaded the individual to proceed with a very memorable ceremony, that day he also taught me a very important lesson.

I must admit that, when considering my own retirement, I had thought of simply fading into the sunset. But I remembered Sergeant Day's valuable words, and I realized I simply cannot do it that way. I owe it to Sergeant Day, and to those that came before him, to keep this tradition alive. I especially owe it to our young Airmen who, just like me, need to be taught why this ceremony is important. These are the exact people to whom I need to pass on the tradition. I stand with them at numerous functions and proudly recite our Airman's Creed, specifically the part about being faithful to a proud heritage.

I am very proud of our heritage and thankful for the opportunity to have served all of these years. It is my duty to proudly pass the retirement tradition on to them by ensuring I do my part and have the ceremony that I, my family and the Airmen in my unit deserve. I hope you will, too, because it's just the right thing to do.